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The haters will hate. Being cleared to practice doesn"t mean he's ready to play.

Thank you. Ben is doing the right thing for his long term health. And you can't be mad at him for that. The team needs to be mad at Tomlin for not having better back up QB's. That's where their anger needs to be directed.

BALTIMORE -- Despite national reports to the contrary, quarterback Ben Roethlisberger was "absolutely not" cleared medically to play against the Baltimore Ravens, a team source told the Post-Gazette.

A report on CBSSports.com said Roethlisberger was cleared medically to do as much as he wanted this week and did little but throw on the sideline. The report added that Roethlisberger's lack of activity "surprised his teammates and frustrated others by not pushing to practice more."

But the Steelers knew early last week Roethlisberger wasn't going to be able to play against the Ravens. But they held out some hope he might miraculously get better, which is why coach Mike Tomlin said they were "leaving the door open" for him to play.

But several offensive players knew early in the week that Charlie Batch, not Roethlisberger, would play against the Ravens.

Roethlisberger has a chance to return Sunday against the San Diego Chargers, but that medical determination will not be made until the middle of the week at the earliest.

Ben will play when ready: It funny, last year we gave him a hard time, when he wanted to play verse SF and wasn't ready, now people are giving him a hard time by taking time to heal before coming back.